The PC is back in the spotlight 🔆 and Dell unveiled a slew of innovations at CES 2025. On this episode of Connected with Diana Blass, we get the inside scoop from several experts at Dell Technologies and Dell’s Alienware team on their CES 2025 product showcase.
Key takeaways:
- Dell is bringing AI to the edge, integrating powerful MPUs from Intel, Qualcomm, and AMD into its new line of laptops, meaning faster, more efficient performance for demanding workloads
- Simplified Portfolio: Dell has streamlined its PC lineup with three clear categories: Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max
- Dell is committed to using recycled materials and reducing its environmental impact
- Insights on how these innovations address current tech trends
- The impact of these products on the future of personal and professional computing
- Their vision for the evolution of computing devices
Learn more at Dell Technologies.
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Transcript:
Diana Blass: Hey, guys. Welcome to Dell’s CES Preview. We’re getting a look at all of its latest innovation. We’re inside the living room, I guess you could say.
Kris Graft: Welcome.
Diana Blass: A monitor combining the powers of video and audio.
Kris Graft: And it feels like someone’s right beside you.
Diana Blass: Enabling us to get even more out of our PCs. Can I lift up the finished product here?
Amanda McNight: How much do you think it weighs?
Diana Blass: Four pounds?
Amanda McNight: 3.6?
Diana Blass: Oh, my gosh, I was pretty close. But not just any PC.
Michael Dell: These PCs are beautiful, they’re blazing fast, they’re powerful with all day life battery.
Diana Blass: And that calls for a big announcement.
Michael Dell: Today, we’re announcing a simplified portfolio that unifies our PC brand under the Dell name.
Diana Blass: A brand that goes back 40 years in the marketplace, all starting with the original PC that Michael Dell launched in 1985 and a lot has changed, so let’s go check it out. Dell’s DC portfolio has been simplified into three categories. Dell, designed for work, school, and play, Dell Pro, designed for commercial use, and Dell Pro Max, designed for maximum performance. Each category is even further broken down into specific tiers tailored to consumer’s needs. Inside the CS Preview, we got to look at some of these devices.
Amanda McNight: This is our new Dell Plus line. You guys heard about the new naming. So historically, Inspiron, we would’ve talked about in Inspiron 14 and 16 Plus. These are the follow-on devices that we’re launching. So there’ll be the Dell 14 and 16 Plus laptops and two-in-ones.
Diana Blass: These devices have been boosted in design.
Amanda McNight: So we got feedback from our customers that they wanted more viewing angles. So we’ve redesigned the hinge so it lays completely flat for you. So this is the plastic, we’ll call it the bottom cover that ships today, you can see Inspiron on the bottom. And so you can see the copper here for our thermal solution. With these devices, we’ve actually moved to aluminum, so you see the metal on the bottom. And then we’ve replaced the copper with graphite sheets, so we’re dissipating air faster with the graphite. The aluminum allows us to get a little bit thinner, so you increase the air gap between the motherboard and the bottom. So you’re pushing more of that cool air through.
Diana Blass: Over here, we got to see how the Dell Pro and select Dell Pro Max are the world’s first commercial notebooks built with a modular USB-C port.
Katie Green: The power port is the most commonly used. You plug in power all day in and out, and it can kind of wobble. So we wanted to make it extra durable, so it’s four times more durable than the previous designs, and then it’s attached with two screws instead of typically being soldered onto the board. There we are. From there, you can just pull the port straight up and you have the USB-C port, fully replaceable.
Diana Blass: And it’s not just about PCs. Dell is also redefining what monitors can do with innovations in color accuracy, eye comfort, and even audio.
Kris Graft: You’ll sit in front of this display and you get the beautiful 4K, which has amazing contrast ratio, really deep blacks, super smooth motion with 120 hertz. And it also has five speakers that are installed across the bottom. When you move your head around, it is precisely placing the audio, like wearing headphones without wearing headphones.
Diana Blass: But let’s get to the bigger story here. The PC is back in the spotlight, more powerful and more relevant than ever before, as AI shifts from the data center to the edge.
Jeff Clarke: Quite frankly, the PC is the closest thing to end users. It’s the closest thing to their data, it’s the closest thing to their intent.
Diana Blass: At Dell CES 2025 preview, the Dell team painted a picture as to why it’s uniquely positioned to deliver upon this craze. Much of it boiling down to innovation around MPUs, the chips that make AI magic happen.
Michael Dell: As a powerful source of highly efficient, low latency, low cost computing, it’s going to change the way work is done.
Diana Blass: Dell is also prioritizing an open ecosystem, integrating silicon with Intel, Qualcomm, and now AMD into its portfolio. Dell says the AMD chips will roll out first in Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max lines.
Kevin Terwilliger: What we’ve learned is actually those AI workloads are very diverse, and we want to meet customers where they are, similar to our server business, whereas we understood more of those workloads, we added more silicon options.
Diana Blass: It’s all part of Dell’s strategy to match the right performance to the workload. But how exactly does that work? Let’s dive into the Dell Pro AI Studio to find out.
Marc Hammons: So as an app developer, you might say, “Hey, I want to go and introduce some type of chatbot into my application, but I don’t necessarily want to have to track what the silicon is underneath that application. Is it going to be Intel? Is it going to be Qualcomm? Is it going to be an AMD processor? What is it?” And so what it’ll do is kind of figure out, “Okay, I know what I’m running on. I know which model is best suited to deliver performance on that device. So let me pull down that model and use it.” And that takes the burden off the developer. They don’t have to learn about the model, they don’t have to learn about the tool chain. They don’t have to worry about all of that complexity. It’s masked and hidden from them, and they can make use of the service and it just makes development a lot easier.
Diana Blass: Now, if you’re thinking AI PCs, didn’t we already hear about this last year? You’re not wrong. But this year, it’s hitting a whole new level. Why? Because the clock is ticking. Windows 10 end of life is just around the corner, meaning enterprises are gearing up for a massive device upgrade. Combine that with the leaps we’re seeing in hardware and sustainability, and suddenly, those futuristic applications we’ve been dreaming about, they become reality. So lots of news coming out here and more to uncover, so stay tuned and you’ll stay connected. Till next time, I’m Diana Blass.
Author Information
Diana Blass is a journalist with a background in technology news and analysis. Her work has appeared on Fox Television Stations, The Discovery Channel, CRN, Light Reading, and other Informa-owned media brands. In addition to her work at The Six Five, she manages Diana Blass Productions, where she develops and produces digital documentaries, podcasts, and commercials for media and corporate brands.
